Kaitz Honors Bright House, Scripps
by Craig Kuhl -- Multichannel News, 9/14/2008 8:00:00 PM EDT
For 25 years, the Walter Kaitz Foundation has fostered diversity within the cable industry by helping remove barriers to progress and empowering others with opportunities. Every year, it has also honored individuals or organizations who act as catalysts for diversity within their respective organizations or throughout cable by presenting the Kaitz Foundation Diversity Champion Award
This year, the Kaitz Foundation recognizes Bright House Networks and Scripps Networks as Diversity Champions.
“For 25 years the Walter Kaitz Foundation has worked to keep the cable industry’s eyes focused on this issue, and it has had an impact,” said David Porter, executive director of the Walter Kaitz Foundation.
“The cable industry has a keen awareness of the changing demographics, and everything it does is consistent with that, including a workforce that reflects the communities it serves. Now, cable must be recognized for the foundation to foster diversity.”
BRIGHT SPOT IN COMMUNITY
At Bright House, fostering diversity is reflected in management’s commitment in terms of hiring and promotion practices and well as in its dealings with the supplier community. Bright House is also ensuring that its community activities are reflective of the markets they serve.
“At the highest levels, diversity is what our owners and top executives are all about,” said Jennifer Mooney, corporate vice president of public and government affairs for Bright House Networks. “Our commitment is to enhance our communities by building and launching more diverse programs to make a difference.”
The company has also developed a Women’s Leadership Circle to help women in middle management, particularly in the technology sector, Mooney added.
“Our operating philosophy is to help advance women in the technology sector,” she said. “But we are always analyzing ethnicity, race, age and gender on a regular basis. Diversity in our communities and our commitment to employees is always a top priority.”
To that end, Bright House has active partnership with organizations such as the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund in Orlando, Fla. and the United Negro College Fund in Tampa, Fla.
Bright House has cultivated alliances with local and national organizations that promote diversity within those communities, while pushing for the recruitment of more women and people of color in its senior ranks.
The company has also hired individuals at the division level to focus on multicultural community relations, and supports events and foundations such as the Hispanic Excellence Scholarship Foundation, 100 Black Men Scholarship Awards and India Fest.
Within cable, Bright House continues to be an active supporter of the Emma Bowen Foundation, National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications and Women in Cable Telecommunications among others.
TOP DOWN AT SCRIPPS
For Scripps Networks, diversity has always been driven by a top-down philosophy championed by its president John Lansing. It is evident in its diverse workforce, as well as in the programming and supplier communities, where Scripps has become a model for the industry.
“Scripps has a long record of great work with diversity, but it’s stepping up its game even more, with senior executives responsible for different pieces like workforce, on-air production and communities. That caught the attention of the committee,” said David Porter, executive director of the Walter Kaitz Foundation.
The company employs a vice president of supplier diversity and is a member of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, with benchmarks established to foster new relationships with minority vendors.
Its philosophy of diversity also extends to the programming arena.
Scripps established a detailed internal review program to ensure that its programming reflects the diversity of its core audiences.
Today, Scripps reports that 38% of its executive team is composed of women and people of color. The company expects to boost that number through the launching of its Women’s Leadership Project, an initiative designed to enhance leadership development of female employees.
It recently sponsored Women in Power, a professional leadership conference designed especially for women of color.
Meanwhile, an Executive Diversity Committee guides the programmer throughout its business practices, from hiring and recruitment of on-screen talent, to vendor selection and marketing.
All of which demonstrate a holistic commitment to diversity at every level.
